


The Fae Ring

by TheSpace_Dragon



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alchemy, F/M, Fae & Fairies, Fae Magic, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, missing fathers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-10 15:00:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18662731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSpace_Dragon/pseuds/TheSpace_Dragon
Summary: You know those places where time doesn't flow right? Or the random pebble circles out in the middle of the forest?Allura had been told her whole life to stay away from the faerie ring, but when her father went missing, something had to change.





	The Fae Ring

**Author's Note:**

> I know, i know, long time no see, but yeah im still writing.
> 
> This was supposed to be a zine piece, but the zine sorta fell through and welp, here we are. Anyways, enjoy!

For decades, maybe even centuries, the village of Valley Ring lived by the rules. Live within your means, don't go seeking out trouble, don't get involved in trouble, don't go to the faery circle. Ever. Don't even think of it. Those who went to the faery circle were cursed, never able to find their way home.

Or so they said.

Allura didn't quite believe it all, she knew that the faery circle couldn't be trusted, never to take it for granted or to think that it was just a circle of pebbles. No, it was something to be respected, but not to be feared.

Her father told her that once. Before he never came back from it. Abandoning her to the rules of the town. For a time, she hated him for it, swearing to let that fiery anger lead her to him and bring him home. They all called her the "Cursed Daughter", the one destined to follow in his footsteps. They stared at her, kept their distance, even going as far as to blatantly ignore her--as if she didn't exist, that she wasn't there, the entire sense of the word. For years, she dealt with this, _years_. From the time she was ten years old to the time she was sixteen and of marriageable age. And it was only then that they started to interact with her again.

During that time she came to the realization that her father hadn't meant to leave her behind. Father Zarkon and Mother Honerva had told her multiple times that he loved her, Alfor wouldn't abandon her when she was the only person left in their family. The Oriande name had been smeared since her birth mother died in childbirth, and when her father, Alfor, had been touched by the faery ring and then again when he disappeared into the woods one day. It was only to go mushroom hunting for his alchemy. Mushrooms, of all things! He had been missing for six, almost seven years, and it was then that her anger faded to a dull ache in her heart, locked away into the deepest parts of her being. Best to keep it there where she wouldn't let it get to her.

She sighed, scrubbing a hand down her face before returning to the laundry. Allura always did her best with what she was tasked, but more often than not, she was catching herself daydreaming and thinking back on her father. Their home was still on the outskirts of the village, standing alone and collecting dust and ivy.

Pinning the last sheet onto the wire as she came to a decision, Allura knew that she needed to go to her old home before Mother Honerva called her in to make dinner. Father Zarkon would often tell her about Alfor's alchemy, the different theories that he had before he vanished. And if often piqued her interest, just enough that she was certain that she might find Alfor if she had some of his journals. And her instincts were telling her that she needed to have those books, something about them was important.

Allura quickly packed up the basket and the leftover clothespins, dropping them off at the back of the house, right on the stoop where Mother Honerva expected them to be. With the sun out and the breeze wafting through the valley town, Allura was certain that the clothes would be dry before Mother Honerva even came back to the house. At that point, Allura had plans that she would already be at her old home.

She wanted to know... to know what happened, to know where her father went, who took him, why they did. His notes had to have something that could help, right? They _had_ to.

Allura dropped her smock into the basket and headed out for her old home -- her only true home if she was being honest with herself. Her hair stuck to the back of her neck in the stubborn heat, the breeze hardly being anything worth noting. It'll help the clothes dry, but other than that? Not much else. She gathered her hair into a sloppy tie, locks of hair falling out and framing her face as she walked out of the town.

Her previous home was on the outskirts of town, ivy climbing up the walls and nearly covering the windows at this point--it has been six years since anyone has gone near it. Allura tugged on a lock near her ear as she steadily got closer to the structure.

Just as she thought, the building was starting to show its age; ivy covered nearly all of the russet brick, dust fogged over the windows, the frame of the doorway sagged and matched the roof as it pitched inward. The building had certainly seen better days, but Allura knew that she wouldn't have any time restoring it between the chores Mother Honerva tasks her with and evading the various marriage offers that came her way. Allura wrinkled her nose at the thought. No, marriage was definitely not something that she wanted to entertain at this point in her life. Lotor had the same opinion on the matter, but she didn't see Mother Honerva going out of her way to point out the various girls in the village. Regardless, neither of them wanted to marry and the two of them had balked at the idea of marrying each other when Father Zarkon mentioned it. There were no romantic feelings between her and Lotor, it would only end up in an empty marriage.

Allura shook her head and narrowed her eyes at the front door of her childhood home. It was now or never. The structure was falling apart and if she didn't collect what she could today or tomorrow, there was no telling when the house would topple in on itself. She straightened her shoulders and took a step forward.

_So, the princess wants to find her father, eh?_

Wind curled around her, almost as if there was a hand trailing from her cheek down to her collarbone.

_Such a pretty little thing you are, Princess... why would you come to visit little ol' me out in the woods?_

Forest spirits? Did it have something to do with the faery ring not more than five-minute walk from her home?

 _Oh no, dear Princess, that ring was claimed long, long,_ _long_ _ago. The one claimed it has long since left. He followed after your example, you know._

Allura didn't know how to respond. The wind brushed her arms and teased her hair as she stood there, frozen with fear. This wasn't supposed to happen, this wasn't something that she had planned for... _what was happening?_

The air tightened its grip on her, causing her to suck in a final breath as it held her in place, still whispering in her ear.

_He won't be here to save you now, sweet little princess... not when you abandoned him and your father trespassed in our domain... what a tragedy._

She could almost see a figure circling her, the leaves and various sticks and twigs from the forest floor whipping around in the wind. Fear gripped at her. No one said that there was a spirit at her childhood home! Not even a mention of a malicious one that haunted the grounds and the forest.

Her chest was beginning to tighten, her lungs burning as she strained to expand them. She needed air--desperately! Was this what drowning felt like? Was this going to be the end of her?

“I am beginning to think that you are envious of the people I pick, beautiful,” an ethereal voice wafted in, cutting through the suffocating air and suddenly she could breathe.

Allura gasped and stumbled away from her childhood home, nearly falling on her knees as she coughed and sucked in air. She was bent over her knees, eyes watering. As she blinked away the tears, a pair of boots appeared in front of her and a hand rested on the back of her head.

...what was going on?

Looking upward, her eyes were met with a set of crystalline blue eyes, the corners crinkled in a gentle smile. They were unimaginably bright, so clear that they looked like the sky on a mid summer's day.

"W-who... who are you?" she whispered, fighting her buckling knees to keep herself on her feet.

The eyes flashed and slowly she was able to focus on the rest of the person that they came with. Tan skin, warm -- almost as if they were the embodiment of the warmth of a fireplace. Beyond the eyes, she could see a face that was made for smiling, perfect cheekbones that accentuated every quirk of the full lips that pulled her attention to them whenever they moved. Their eyes pulled her attention back to them with an easy wink. She could feel the complete alluring air about this person that made her _want_ to be with them.

But all that disappeared as the eyes moved away from her, focusing on something that was behind her briefly, and once again, that captivating feeling overwhelmed her and this time her knees did collapse, and she fell to the ground.

His shoes were the simplest part of his whole outfit, only covering the soles of his feet, but a light fabric that enclosed his feet. His pants only came down to his calves, something about the fabric was otherworldly--it shifted colors in ways that weren’t possible, not unless they were--

Allura raised her head and just as her mind came to its conclusion… her eyes saw what she never thought she would ever see.

 _Wings_.

What she saw were wings. Shimmering and sparkling lightly as the faery spoke with the wind spirit.

“Now that we aren’t trying to kill anyone anymore, how about we talk this over peacefully, yes?” The fae said, lips curling into a coy smile.

The wind spirit glowered at the fae, wind whipping around and creating the image of a disgruntled person as they crossed their arms and gave the fae an unamused look. _Why deny me this fun? As soon as she stopped breathing, I would have let her go._

Wings fluttered in front of her and Allura blinked, looking up at the fae and spirit in disbelief. “You wanted me to die?”

_This is my home, you entered it without permission._

A hand entered her vision, splayed out as the wings quivered. “From what I understand,” the fae began, his voice melodious and its timbre resonating around them, “This is not, and was not, a place for you to inhabit. My circle is essentially in this home’s backyard.”

Allura watched as the wind spirit hissed and vanished from view, the leaves swirling to the ground in its wake. Her mouth was agape as she watched the spirit disappear and the fae turn to her. He stood in front of her and held out his hand.

“So, princess,” he purred, lips still curled coquettishly, “shall we?”

Her mouth flopped around like a fish, words tumbling out as she unsteadily found her feet. “S-shall-shall we w-what?”

The fae laughed, grasping her elbow as she wavered upright. “Shall we go find what you were searching for, yes? You are the owner of this building, no?”

Allura blinked owlishly at the fae. “H-how…?” she asked, shocked and unnerved that this... _creature_ knew that this was her old home.

“Come now, princess, there are not many people who have shock white hair _naturally_. You are the daughter of the alchemist, the family resemblance is uncanny.” He gestured to the home. “Go, the path is clear and this is your point of origin, claim it.”

Allura glanced back and forth between the house and the fae, cautiously stepping away from him. “Will you stay to make sure of that?” She didn’t know why she asked that, but her near-death experience from the wind spirit left her shaken and nervous -- the forest wasn’t as safe as it seemed from her childhood and the change was unsettling.

The fae shrugged, smile never leaving his face. “Depends, every gift requires something in return.”

Her instincts immediately told her to run, to leave the house and ever return, but he knew something about her and she knew nothing about him. That wasn’t _fair_ was it? Allura chewed her lip and looked back and forth between the fae and her old home, struggling to make a decision.

“...what if--what if I ask that of you next time,” she proposed, voicing her thoughts deliberately.

The creature hummed, tilting his head and peering at her with open curiosity. “Go on.”

Her heart pounded in her chest as she continued, “And you know where I come from, it would be a fair assumption that I get to know where you come from.”

The fae blinked once, twice before his smiled crawled across his face, teeth blindingly white and his canines slightly pointed. “I can show you right now, if you would like?” he asked, offering her a hand.

Allura stared at his hand, not quite sure what to do. Her instincts were telling her to run and to stay at the same time, the conflicting emotions roiled within her to the point where she felt that she would bubble over with indecisiveness. Hesitantly, she reached out, only to pause at the last second.  
  
“What may I call you?” she blurted, eyes wide and uncertain.

The creature’s smile glinted -- glinted in such a way that Allura couldn’t tell which was what anymore.  
  
“You can call me Lance for the time being, princess. And what shall I call you?”  
  
Allura knew better than to give her true name, but what other name was she used to? At this point it was best to just go with what he was calling her.

“...Princess is fine.”

The smile shined brighter than it ever had during this whole interaction. “Well, then, Princess, shall I show you where I come from?” His hand was still out stretched to her, and hers to his.

After a few more seconds, she gently touched her fingers to the palm of his hand, and from that moment on, Allura Oriande of Valley Ring vanished from existence.

The books that wasted away in the Oriande home faded away to dust, and the home crumbled in on itself before the village knew of her disappearance. Almost as if the house was waiting for her to return to meet this fae, Lance, as he calls himself. Taking after her father Alfor, Allura was never to be seen again, and the village’s story of the faery ring began anew, telling the tale of the Alchemist and the Princess that disappeared when they took the hand of a fae.

**Author's Note:**

> **Do Not Repost Any Content From This Fic**
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> You can find the art here:[clockworkgalaxies](https://clockworkgalaxies.tumblr.com/)  
> And I'm still here on tumblr: [thespace-dragon](https://thespace-dragon.tumblr.com/)


End file.
